Runaway
by Fynnagin
Summary: Roxas takes his life in his own hands when he decides to run away from his abusive father – taking his newfound kitten with him. When he’s picked up by a kind stranger named Axel, Roxas will have to learn to trust again. Only akuroku if you squint!
1. It was a dark and stormy night

Chapter one

It was a dark and stormy night…

Torrents of rain poured down from the low dark clouds. Windows were shuttered and doors barred to the late hours and the miserable wet. Not a soul was about to brave this horrible weather, the people that lived on Macintyre street, with its small identical houses and postage stamp lawns, were either curled up in their beds or watching TV (or something equally cozy.)

A sopping wet ball of fur scurried along the sidewalk. It was about the size of a rat, and currently resembled a drowned one. Its little nose twitched sadly, searching for someplace warm and dry to wait out the storm. One single light broke through the gloom of the downpour – it was coming from a window in the second story of a house, not far from where the kitten, because that's what it was, was standing. A spark of hope lit in the kitten's small chest, and it began to run. Tiny paws kicked up rainwater and mud.

When it reached the house it was delighted to find a small swinging slat of wood built into the bottom of the human door that was just its size – this was almost too perfect! The kitten sniffed cautiously around the base of the cat-door before pushing on the wood with its head and sliding inside.

From the smell of the place this house was already owned by another cat – the kitten would have to be careful. Not a light in the house was on. Spotting some stairs the kitten remembered that the light had been on the second floor. Soaking wet paws left a tattoo of dark marks along the hardwood floor as the tiny animal made its bumbling way to the staircase. It took the kitten ten full minutes to scale the steps, but it finally made it. Nose twitching furiously, eyes dilated to their fullest to collect the most possible light in the pitch black hallway, it sniffed carefully at the base of every door it came across. The first two were duds – it could hear people sleeping in one, and the second one was empty.

The third door was closed, like the first, but the kitten could hear someone moving around inside. There was something squished between the bottom of the door and the floor so no light would leak out into the hallway – looked like a shirt or something. Smart. Being still extremely small, the kitten felt confident that it would be able to squeeze under that door to get into the room that it already knew was warm and lit. It purred happily to itself, loose skin stretching back from its face as it furiously wedged its round head under the door. The shirt that had been wedged beneath the door slid aside to make room for it.

With a resounding pop the kitten's head emerged on the other side! Its little backend wiggled triumphantly in the hallway!

Suddenly, a black hoodie came flying across the room, landing on, and successfully covering, the poor little kitten. It mewed in annoyance, pulling the rest of its body into the room and crawling out from under the black cloth.

The tiny animal squinted in the bright light of the room, eyes adjusting accordingly. It blinked happily, content and warm, and took in the scene: it was a fairly small room, walls painted dark blue, with a window looking out onto the street. A mattress was pushed into the corner with a few blankets and a pillow thrown over it – a makeshift bed, the kitten supposed. And, most importantly, stalking from one end of the room to the other, there was a boy. The kitten brightened immediately, it loved children! Happy and content with its new home, it pranced over to the mattress bed and cuddled up on the pillow, purring as loudly as physically possible.


	2. Themost perfect place inthe world

**Chapter two **

The most perfect place in the world

It was roughly an hour later that the kitten was disturbed from its deep happy sleep. It popped its wide blue eyes open when the boy that had been pacing the room before flopped down onto the bed. Immediately wide-awake, the kitten was overjoyed! Its new master wanted to come cuddle with it! Wading through the white sheets the tiny feline made its determined way over to the boys blond head.

When it finally got close enough to see the boy's face the kitten heart dropped into its boots. Its new master didn't look very happy…his eyes were closed and the way he was flopped so carelessly on his back on his (lovely, in the kitten's opinion,) mattress-bed made him appear totally defeated and upset. The kitten wanted to cry! But it knew it had to stay strong! Its master was going through a rough time – it would be his anchor, the kitten decided, his shoulder to cry upon!

This kitten had an extremely well developed hero complex.

The kitten let out a distressed 'mew', just to let its new master know that it was there for him.

At the alien sound, the boy's eyes snapped open! They widened considerably when he saw the tiny creature hovering over his head, mewing pathetically, and once again the poor kitten found itself alone on the mattress-bed as the boy bolted to the other side of the room!

Considerably confused by the actions of his new master, the tiny kitten cocked its head to one side. What was his master playing at? This was most definitely strange.

After a few moments of terse staring, the boy hissed,

"How the heck did you get in here?!"

The kitten didn't understand…why didn't his master look happy to see him? He was, after all, the most adorable kitten in the world.

Clutching his right hand to his chest the boy stared, more surprised than upset now, at the kitten still crouched on the mattress-bed.

"Nearly gave me a heart-attack friggin cat…." he muttered.

The kitten sniffed quietly, a bit offended, but made no other sound. The boy across the room simply dropped his blond head into his hand, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"So. What are you doing here?" he muttered, more to himself than the kitten he was actually addressing. "I guess you got in through Misty's kitty-door, huh? Well, you'll have to go back outside, you can't stay here."

The kitten's eyes widened as it literally felt its little heart shatter!

The blond boy frowned a bit when he saw the kitten's face. It looked stricken, and almost seemed to have tears in its eyes. He began to feel a bit guilty… He hadn't meant to make it feel so bad. Upset, he hurried to the side of the mattress-bed and knelt beside it.

"Hey, there, there," he muttered awkwardly, "It's okay, you can stay, you can stay, I mean, you know, come with me or whatever, I didn't mean it!"

The blond boy was still extremely confused – last thing he knew he had been taking a break from packing, and now he had just invited a kitten to come with him? Was he friggin crazy? Not to mention he was feeling guilty about hurting the 'feelings' of a cat…

Kittens mind:

_OMG sqeeee! It was all a mistake! My master loves me oh so dearly! o He said I could stay he said I could stay he said I could staaaay! OMGWTFAOLBBQ!!!1 _

End Kitten's mind.

The boy stared at the kitten, a little unsure about what to do next. Well… he was its master now, right? So, introductions first? He cleared his throat,

"Um, hello kitten, my name is Roxas,"

Roxas. Roxas. Roxas. What a lovely name. The kitten repeated it over and over again in its mind. His new master Roxas. What a lovely ring it had to it.

Roxas ran a hand through his spiky blond hair. He was totally stressed out now! This was all he needed!

"Okay kitten, if you're going to be coming with me, you know, if you're going to be my pet, or cat or whatever, I guess I'll have to fill you in on what you're getting yourself into, right?" he laughed at himself a bit – I mean come on, he was talking to a cat, for gosh sakes, but it had been so long since he had someone to talk to who actually seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say, (the kitten was leaning so close to the end of the bed it was almost falling off, eyes wide and expectant,) and as silly as it sounded, Roxas really did feel obligated to let the kitten know what kind of a deal it was entering into. So, not having a lot of time, the boy gave the kitten an abbreviated Roxy-biography as he finished putting the last few things that he needed in his backpack.

"So. My name is Roxas Hikari and I'm sixteen. My mom left when I was nine, my older brother Cloud left when I was twelve, and now it's my turn. Understand? We're leaving, kitten. Tonight. Like…" he checked his watch, and flipped open the top of his backpack to make sure everything was there, "like right now. Kay?"

Finally, Roxas reached over and picked the little kitten up with one hand. Then, he rustled through one of his deep pockets with the other, eventually coming up with a worn scrap of paper. He placed the tiny kitten on the desk when he leaned over and tacked the paper onto the corkboard that was screwed to the wall.

"Oh, um, yeah, wait right here kitty I'm going to get you some of Misty's food."

Without making a sound, Roxas left the room, obviously headed downstairs to retrieve some 'Misty food' for his new pet.

After the boy left, the kitten furrowed its little brow as it stared up at the paper Roxas had just tacked up, trying to make out the messy chicken-scratch that was his master's writing. The paper was lined and looked like it had been messily torn from a notebook or something.

_Dear Dad,_

_It's Roxas. I'm writing this to let you know that I'm leaving. For good. I took the money from your bedside table – please don't be angry. I'll pay you back someday, I promise. I know you don't want me around anymore - maybe if you didn't get so angry all the time we might have been able to work it out… But it's kind of too late now, isn't it. I'm leaving tonight because I know you won't be awake until at least noon. And you probably won't find this letter till tomorrow. Maybe the next day. By the time you're reading this I'll be long gone – please don't come looking for me, I know you won't, but still. There's nothing left for me here, I don't think there was anything in the first place. I don't want to come back. _

_Sincerely,_

_Roxas._

The message reeked of teenage angst and drama, but the kitten's well-developed hero complex wouldn't let him think badly of his master.

The kitten frowned. It hadn't been able to make out the whole thing, but it had been around humans long enough to know some stuff about the written word – enough to get the gist of the letter. Roxas was running away? Why? Was his daddy mean to him? The kitten was suddenly pulled from his thoughts when a slim pale hand came down out of the sky and snatched him up gently by the scruff of the neck. Roxas was back! And he had with him a small plastic bag full of hard cat food.

Roxas proceeded to stuff it into the already bulging backpack.

Then, Roxas placed the kitten on his shoulder. He wasn't entirely sure where else it could go…. He wouldn't be able to hold it the entire time, and it would probably suffocate if he tried to make it ride in the backpack. The blond boy was pleasantly surprised and relieved when the tiny animal slid happily down his neck and landed in the sling of Roxas's hood. The kitten gave a happy contented chuff as it settled into the warm black hammock-like bed it had accidentally found. It decided that this was the most perfect place in the world. And then if fell asleep.

Roxas smiled to himself, a little tensely, but it was still a smile.

The boy took a final look around the room that had been his for sixteen years, and, taking a deep breath, hoisted himself over the window sill and out into the night - and hopefully, a new and better life.

______________________________________________________________


	3. In the Rain Again

**Chapter three**

In the rain again

Roxas sighed with relief when the rain began to let up. He was soaked to the bone and nearly frozen. Note to self – never include running away in the middle of a thunderstorm in your brilliant running away plan.

He'd been walking all night and felt as if he could fall asleep right there on the sidewalk. It was about five in the morning according to his watch, and the sun was just beginning to peak into view.

He assumed the kitten was still dry, considering it hadn't made a sound the whole way. Roxas however, was tired, cold, wet and hungry. By now the boy was envious of the little creature curled up comfortably in his hood.

Nothing of consequence had happened since the kitten had fallen asleep – because Roxas hadn't really thought about what he was doing. He had had no clue where to go when he'd dropped out of his bedroom window the night before. So, he'd started in a random direction – foolish, but what the hey. Anywhere he ended up would have to be better then where he'd been, right?

His hand flitted quickly to his right shoulder, where a large bruise was beginning to form. Yeah. Anything was better than that.

He had run into a few drunks enjoying a late night out and a couple of hobos, but nobody had bothered him. And he wasn't certain that he would have been able to protect himself from anyone, considering the shape his shoulder was in. His stomach and chest kind of hurt too…

______________________________________________________________

The early morning sun was just beginning to warm him up by the time Roxas plopped down on a park bench. He was tired beyond belief, and still soaking wet. The kitten mewled a tired yawn as it pulled itself out of Roxas's hood with its tiny claws. How it managed to stay dry the entire time, the boy had no clue.

Roxas smiled thoughtfully. He was usually really cynical, you know, a glass-half empty kind of guy, but seeing that little fuzzy face resting on his shoulder, round blue eyes still cloudy with sleep, it almost made him feel better. Just knowing that he wasn't really…alone.

He patted the kitten absently on its fuzzy head.

"Hey," he suddenly realized, "you know, you don't have a name, do you."

The kitten blinked in acknowledgement.

"Well, we'll have to fix that, huh,"

The tiny creature purred its approval of the notion.

"So umm…" Roxas hummed. If there was one thing he wasn't it was creative. Or imaginative. And the aching in his shoulder was _not_ helping him think in the least.

The kitten didn't look very pleased at the lack of ideas. It made a grumpy huffing sound and climbed down Roxas's shoulder to his lap. The boy hissed in pain when the kitten tromped over his bruise, and he rolled his eyes.

They were the only ones in the park at that hour in the morning and Roxas took a few moments to survey his surroundings.

It was a pretty big park, with a few benches scattered here and there. Some tall trees had been planted randomly and at the far end of the large grassy field Roxas could just make out a sign.

He blinked his sleep filled eyes and could barely make out the large fancy print words: Twilight Town Community Park. He blinked again. Twilight Town? That had to be at least a good twenty miles from his house – had he really walked that far in one night? The thought was kind of encouraging, but scary at the same time.

The kitten emitted a loud mew. Not entirely sure what it want, Roxas assumed that the mew meant that it was hungry. So he slung his backpack off of his good shoulder and began to dig through it. When he came back up with the baggy of cat food the kitten mewled excitedly!

As Roxas watched the kitten eat, crunching the hard food with its sharp little teeth, he realized that he was hungry too – really hungry… He hadn't eaten in a while – he'd been locked in his room at least a day…was it two? No it couldn't have been two the school would have called if it had been two. It was…what Saturday today? He thought so. The day where nearly everyone sleeps in. He predicted at least another few hours before the streets of Twilight Town would come alive with the chatter of the 'early birds'.

After the kitten finished its food the Roxas picked it up and set it on his good shoulder. Taking his heavy backpack in hand he started off across the park in search of somewhere to eat.

Twilight Town wasn't that big – he had been there once before with his mother. That had been a long time ago, but he still remembered. Everything was pretty much walking distance, but if you felt like it you could catch of the many trams that were constantly crisscrossing the town, prepared to take you wherever you needed to go. Roxas wanted someplace with food, and he also didn't want to take the tram – waste of money when he was perfectly capable of walking. Tired, but capable. He groaned.

In about half an hour he found himself in the heart of the city. Still being quite early, there was hardly anyone around. An old man sitting on a bench – a young lady in a jogging suit huffing her way down the sidewalk. No one else.

Then, he spotted it. A tiny little diner was huddled in between a clothing store and a garage. Much to his delight, it was open! What kind of place opens this early, he thought vaguely, but didn't dwell on it. Nearly every town had one – closes late, opens early, for people with weird time schedules, you know? And people like Roxas. It was almost too convenient, and it almost made him smile.

He pushed the glass door open with one hand, pushing the kitten gently into his hood with the other. He assumed it was no pets allowed. He didn't want to get kicked out. A little bell chimed as the door fell shut.

It was a cute little place, with fake-red-leather booths and a black and white checkerboard floor. Typical diner.

Not seeing anyone around, Roxas slid into one the booths, sliding his backpack in beside him.

It felt so good to be off his feet! Sighing contentedly, he lowered his blond head down onto the table and closed his eyes. He was only going to rest for a second…just…a second….

________________________________________________________________

"I'm sorry sweetie, but if you're not going to order anything I'm going to have to ask you to leave…"

Roxas was startled awake by a soft feminine voice and a hand on his shoulder. He quickly gathered his thoughts and gave the girl in the waitress uniform an apologetic grimace, before replying,

"No, no I'll get something…can I get…um, a bran muffin and, uh coffee. Black."

The waitress, who's nametag read 'Yuna' in pretty cursive script, gave him a bit of a sceptical look, but patted his shoulder and headed back to the kitchen with his order.

When she was gone Roxas dropped his head back on the table with a thump.

His mother had always told him not to touch or lick tables in little restaurants like this too much, because 'you never know who was sitting here before you, and they're not always clean.' Why the heck would he ever want to lick a freakin table anyway…but it wasn't like he really cared at the moment…he was just sooo tired…

'Yuna' was back in a matter of minutes carrying a plate laden down with the biggest muffin Roxas had ever laid eyes on! His mouth was watering at the sight. With a soft smile she laid it down in front of him.

"Sorry, Cid just put a new pot on – coffee'll be ready in a couple minutes, kay?"

Roxas nodded his head before viciously descending on the poor helpless muffin. It never stood a chance.

By the time the coffee came all evidence of a muffin ever haveing existed were gone.

Yuna placed a steaming mug of black coffee down in front of Roxas, and smiled, a bit amused when the boy reached out a downed nearly half of the scalding hot liquid in one gulp.

Then, she just couldn't help herself, "If you don't me asking, where're you from?'

She wasn't stupid – a young kid, tired and damp, ordering coffee and muffins at five thirty in the morning and carrying a heavy backpack – he was obviously a runaway. What else could he have been? Of course he could just be a normal kid with an early Saturday job who'd brought a change of clothes in his bag – but Yuna's squishy-soft heart sought out the most desperate situation. And it just happened to be correct.

Roxas looked blank for a moment before he frowned, and answered, none-too smoothly,

"A-around…"

Yuna raised an eyebrow knowingly.

Then, to Roxas's surprise and annoyance, she stepped to the other side of his table and slid into the booth.

"So – why'd you run away?"

"Run-I-what? I don't know what you're talking about!" Roxas sputtered, fear tracing a cold line down his heart, which was quickly replaced by a wave of extreme annoyance. He started to get up from his seat.

Yuna smiled her soft smile again, "I think you do, kid. C'mon, sit down. I'm not going to report you or anything," she laughed.

Roxas was at a complete loss – run, or stay? On one hand, this weird lady he had met could report him to the police, on the other hand, it probably wouldn't be worth her trouble to do something like that, would it? He made his decision when a loud crack of thunder split the darkening sky outside the window, and it started to rain. Hard.

Wet out there, dry in here. He slumped back into his seat, much to the triumph of a certain still-smiling waitress.

Yuna leaned forward, elbows resting on the slick cheap surface of the table.

"So. What's on your mind." She snapped a piece of gum in her mouth that Roxas hadn't noticed she'd been chewing.

"Um…nothing?" the boy said defensively. This lady was nosy – he hated nosy people. With a passion…

"Hm. Doubt that, c'mon sweetie, there's got to be _some _reason you ran away."

"Well…what if there isn't…" he ground out. He wasn't about to deny the fact that he was a runaway – it was pretty obvious that he was one, and that she already knew.

She smiled again, "Then you're stupid; and you don't look like a stupid kid."

Roxas wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a compliment. So he just frowned pensively. This woman was totally crossing _all_ his personal boundaries right now…

"I'd rather not talk about this to a complete stranger," he hissed, causing the waitress across the table from him to raise an eyebrow again.

"In fact, I'd rather not talk about it to _anybody_," his voice rose in volume with every word.

"So please – just leave me alone!"

It was with some embarrassment and shock that he realized he had shouted the last bit. Quite loudly.

The few people that were now occupying the tall stools by the counter gave him weird looks. He only glared back.

Jumping up from the table he slung his backpack over his un-damaged shoulder and stalked out the door. He felt the kitten, still unnamed, poor thing, shift and mew a bit in his hood, but he ignored it. Pushing the glass door open roughly he once again found himself out in the cold and the rain. He didn't really care – he was still wet from the night before. All he wanted was to put as much distance between himself and that horrible waitress as he possibly could.

Back at the diner, Yuna raised a hand to her mouth thoughtfully. Poor kid… She watched the boy with the blond hair stalk off into the rain. She hoped he would be all right…

"Hey," she realized, a bit belatedly, "You didn't pay for your muffin!"

To be continued…


	4. Fauxhawks and too big pants

**Chapter 4**

Faux-hawks and too-big-pants

The rain came down in buckets – even heavier than the night before. Roxas couldn't even remember what it felt like to be dry, and now even the kitten, curled up in his hood, was soaking wet.

It mewled pathetically, and Roxas almost felt like doing the same.

It was seven o' clock now, and the boy was literally ready to collapse. He had been wandering aimlessly around town. He'd gotten kicked out of five places when he hadn't ordered anything, and was currently trying to find another place to hang that would keep him somewhat dry. But Twilight Town was a small place, and there weren't that many available dry spots to find in this wild downpour.

The kitten climbed soggily out of his hood.

Shivering, the little animal curled itself between Roxas's collar and neck. The soaking wet and shivering boy placed his hand over it protectively, and kept on walking.

It was roughly an half hour later when the two were 'blessed' with a break in the monotony of their endless walking in the pouring rain. It was then that a tall figure, dressed all in black, very suddenly appeared in front of Roxas, who admittedly was not looking where he was going – the boy found himself painfully flung to the sidewalk as he and the stranger collided - the poor kitten went flying.

Roxas gasped, the air knocked violently from his lungs as he hit the ground.

The kitten let out a horrified yowl as it landed in a deep puddle.

The blonde boy vaguely noted a dull shooting pain where his head had come in harsh contact with the concrete, before black began to seep into the corners of his eyes.

The last he heard before he lost consciousness were the words: "Oh shi-"

Roxas blinked. Raising a small hand to his face he rubbed his heavy eyes… he was so tired. So tired that he didn't even think to wonder where on earth he was. That is, until he heard a voice say,

"Hey sleeping beauty, you're awake."

Roxas jumped up! His mind was still fuzzy, but he was able to piece together a fairly nice room – walls painted a deep red color, black carpeting. He was tucked into a huge bed with black covers, or at least he had been.

Bolt upright in the bed, he swung his head around. His eyes, still heavy with sleep, finally landed on a man. The guy was sitting in a chair beside the bed, leaning back, feet propped up an end table.

Roxas blinked. The man, who looked like he was probably in his early twenties, had to be the most beautiful person the boy had ever seen. He was thin and tall, with pale skin and sharp defined features. He had two small emo-tear tattoos on his face, one beneath each eye. His red hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and Roxas wondered vaguely if it was dyed, the color was so bright... But most mesmerizing of all were his catlike green eyes. They were locked onto Roxas's blue ones, and the boy was finding it annoyingly difficult to look away.

"How're you feeling?"

It took Roxas a moment to realize that it was the guy talking, and another moment to realize that the guy was talking to _him_.

"Uh…?" he mumbled intelligently.

His throat felt dry and scratchy, and his mouth tasted like something had crawled in and died in it. How long had he been out for? His stomach felt like a hollow pit…not a pleasant feeling.

He blinked his blue eyes at the handsome man beside the bed, who had just gotten up. The man towered over poor little Roxas, who was short to begin with. This guy had to be at least six-foot-six. But, the boy realized, it was a nice sort of towering. Not the menacing kind. More like the…protective kind?

Gosh he didn't even know this guy…he was talking- scratch that – he was _thinking_ nonsense. See Roxy? This is what happens when you don't sleep for two days and you wake up in some random house in some random bed in a room with a guy who you don't even know and have never seen before in your entire life: you go insane. He almost giggled, but his dry throat didn't allow him to. All that came out was a scratchy sad sound…

Technically, this _was_ a potentially dangerous situation: you know, the whole waking up in an unfamiliar bed owned by some guy who was very obviously bigger and stronger than he was… But the boy was still too leaden with sleep to think about being scared…which probably would have been a reasonable emotion to be feeling at that point in time. But what the heck – he was warm, he was dry, and there was a very handsome nice looking man towering protectively over his nice comfy bed. Life was good, for the still-half-asleep Roxas.

"Yeah…uh look, I'm going to go get you a drink of water, just…stay here, okay?"

Sure, whatever. He wasn't going anywhere.

Roxas cuddled down deeper into his cushy black blankets. It was so…warm…

Before he knew it, he was asleep again.

The next time Roxas opened his eyes the red room was glowing with the light of the fading sun. The handsome guy was nowhere to be found, and Roxas realized that he was completely alone.

His mind was much clearer now than it had been before, and he felt totally awake, if not completely physically weak… Going days wallowing in freezing rain without decent food, water or sleep will do that to a boy. Okay maybe it had only been a day and a half that he'd been gone from home, but he _had_ been without decent food and water for a lot longer than that. A part of his brain that probably should have been thinking of more important things took the time to note how painfully thin he was…

The boy blinked his blue eyes and shook his head to clear it.

Now was not the time for a wandering mind! He had things to find out, first on the list, where the heck was he! Second…where…wait a sec…where was his kitten…?

Roxas's heart dropped suddenly into his empty stomach…the kitten was…gone?

Roxas gulped as he was unexpectedly overcome by a strange feeling…it felt like part of his heart had been ripped up… He had only known the little kitten for a day, but it felt like a lot longer…how could he be gone? Instantly forgetting everything else, he clapped a thin hand over his mouth at the horrible and unexpected feeling of loss he was experiencing. Tears welled up in his blue eyes.

Oh gosh he felt like a total baby…but he couldn't help the tears running down his cheeks. Even though he wasn't sleepy-tired anymore, he felt completely spent – emotionally and physically. His muscles ached, his head ached, his shoulder ached, his ribs ached, his throat was horribly dry and sore, his empty, bruised stomach moaned, and now his heart hurt on top of it all. Overall, he just felt like crying. So he did.

He didn't cry out loud - he never had. He just let the tears run down his face and drew his knees up to hug them against his chest. Outside, the ever-dimming sun dipped behind the pale purple mountains, and the warm red room suddenly felt lonelier then ever.

Roxas was awakened the next morning by the cheerful sound of singing. He blinked his eyes sleepily…then, remembered where he was.

Everyone seems to say that everything's supposed to be better in the morning, but aches and pains don't go away overnight. And the boy's heart still hurt from missing his lost friend…

But, Roxas pushed all other feelings to the back of his mind, and allowed his most instinctive emotion to take over, drowning out all the others: cautious anxiety...

The singing was coming from somewhere other than his room. It was a very nice voice, light and cheerful, and most definitely didn't sound like the handsome man from earlier.

Roxas narrowed his eyes curiously…

Suddenly, a door opened in the wall! It was all very odd and surreal to the disoriented boy. If he had been paying attention he would have realized that it actually was just a normal door. Someone had simply removed the wooden frame, and painted the door the same shade of the red room, so it was nearly invisible to anyone who wasn't looking for it. Roxas hadn't been looking for it. To him, it looked as if someone had pushed open a section of the wall.

A boy bounced into the room.

The first thing Roxas noticed about him was his hair - he had the weirdest hair that Roxas had ever seen: it was dirty blond, and styled into a sort of funky faux-hawk. Only with a mullet. He decided not to dwell on it.

The boy was carrying a tray, and on the tray was the most wonderful breakfast in the world.

Roxas could have kicked himself for being so pathetically trusting and thoughtless (for all he knew, Faux-hawk-boy was coming in to kill him!) but the food the guy was holding just looked so good! When it was placed in front of him he didn't even think twice. Pancakes and syrup, strips of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and buttered toast, all gone in a matter of minutes.

It took Roxas a moment to realize that Faux-hawk-boy was staring, mouth wide open.

"Oh…sorry…" Roxas hung his head.

"Oh! Oh no that's all right!" With a bubbly grin, Faux-hawk-boy swept the remnants of the tray off Roxas's lap.

"Wow, you must've been hungry! I'm Demyx," he held out his hand, grinning benevolently down at the smaller boy.

Roxas looked down. He suddenly felt very small and nervous…

"Hi…" he mumbled, ignoring Demyx's outstretched hand.

Demyx frowned a bit, but quickly recovered.

"I'm Axel's friend, I live in his apartment with him,"

Roxas glanced up at Demyx's grinning face. Demyx seemed to interpret his blank look as a questioning one.

"You're wondering why I'm not in school! Right? Well I dropped out! I'm going to be a famous musician!"

In reality Roxas hadn't been wondering about Demyx's current living situation or his dreams of the future, but he listened politely.

Suddenly, Roxas heard a loud shrill mewl! His breath hitched in his throat and he felt like crying when a tiny bundle of fur flung itself up onto the bed! It was his kitten!

The kitten stumble across the black covers and threw itself into Roxas's arms. The boy felt like his heart would melt. And even though his eyes were dry, he was crying tears of happiness on the inside! Gosh it felt so good to see a familiar face. Roxas hugged the kitten to his chest, and the tiny animal purred loudly. And, cuddling into his master, promptly fell asleep, still purring like a buzz saw. Roxas smiled, and for a moment, felt utterly content. Until he realized that Demyx was staring down at him rather oddly.

"W-what…" Roxas didn't like being stared at – it made him nervous.

Immediately waving his hands in the air, the faux-hawked boy said,

"Oh, no, no, I just didn't know he was yours. I was wondering what he was doing outside Axel's apartment."

Roxas looked up. "Axel?' Demyx had said that name before.

"Yeah, you know him, tall, creepy, red hair, looks like a druggie - Axel. He's the one who knocked you out."

Roxas didn't really see where the 'druggie' reference fit in, but he assumed the boy meant the handsome guy he had met earlier. The one who had gone to get him a glass of water, just before he had fallen back asleep.

"Axel…"

Demyx grinned again. "Yeah, Axel. This is his apartment – he works Tuesdays."

What the…Tuesday? How long had he been out… No wonder he didn't feel sleepy, and no wonder he had been so hungry!

Demyx giggled a bit, then tossed a bundle of clean clothes onto the bed beside Roxas.

"Here," he said, "they're mine so they might be a bit big – put 'em on, mmkay? I'll be in the living room watching TV or something. Come out when you're ready." The dirty-blond boy smiled one last time, and, breakfast tray under his arm, left the red room via the 'invisible door'.

Roxas squinted at the bundle of clothing on the bed.

He realized a moment later as a red blush spread across his pale face, that he wasn't wearing any clothes! What. The. Heck! Who had taken his clothes off!

He flung the black covers off his body, relieved to see that he was still in possession of his boxers, and quickly donned Demyx's clothes.

He sat for a moment, on the edge of the bed, cradling his sleeping kitten, wondering whether or not to leave the room… Demyx had said he would be in the living room. With a deep breath, Roxas pushed himself off the bed and shuffled across the black carpet in the other boy's too-big-pants. Steeling himself, he pushed open the door.

To be continued…


	5. Breakfast with Demyx

**Chapter five**

Breakfast with Demyx

"_Hey Sponge Bob,"_

"_Yyyes Patrick?"_

"_I don't think this is a good idea,"_

"_Of course it is Patrick! Just follow my lead, NYAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"_

Roxas took a few tentative steps out of the room…

He narrowed his eyes curiously at the sight of Demyx, sprawled on a couch, giggling along with the yellow sponge that was dancing around in the TV.

He stood awkwardly outside the bedroom door for a minute, until the kitten proudly announced his presence.

"Mew!"

The boy on the couch leapt up onto his knees, turning around to lean over the back of the couch. "Hey, kid! Finally decided to show up, huh?" The smile on Demyx's face was wide and bright, and Roxas couldn't help but smile softly back. Demyx was so weird.

"Yeah…"

"You want something to eat?"

Roxas recalled the huge breakfast he had inhaled not fifteen minutes ago, but still nodded 'yes'. He couldn't believe how hungry he still was… "Yeah, thanks."

Ten minutes later found both boys in the kitchen; Roxas perched awkwardly on the edge of a kitchen chair while Demyx whirled dizzily around the kitchen, collecting bowls and eggs and butter while simultaneously avoiding the kitten that wound around his feet. Demyx grinned crazily, happy to show off his cooking skills to the rapt audience that was Roxas. Unfortunately, Demyx got to show off his skills so rarely that they had deteriorated quite a bit… The only noise Roxas made was to yelp when Demyx absentmindedly placed the bowl of pancake batter on the hot element. After a slightly hazardous episode of 'cooking with Demyx' (as the tall boy called it,) in which Demyx burned half the pancakes, splattered bacon grease over the entire stove and broke three eggs onto the counter, the food was made. At first Roxas had wondered why the boy was making so much, but then realized that half of it either got burned or trashed. The half that turned out however was absolutely delicious.

Both boys ate happily, Roxas in relative silence, Demyx chattering away like a radio without an off switch. Roxas didn't mind the conversation, if it could be called as such, as long as he wasn't expected to contribute. As Demyx rattled on about his baking and cooking expertise Roxas's mind was occupied with his very near future. After their lunch was finished he would get his things and leave. Wasn't sure where he'd go, but he couldn't stay here. He was most likely going to be reported to the authorities, and he couldn't have that.

"Mew," the kitten asked questioningly, eyeing Roxas's plate with wide hungry eyes. The boy smiled softly and pushed some bacon to the edge of his plate where the kitten would be able to reach it. It ate the bacon happily.

"What's his name?"

Roxas started, realizing that Demyx was questioning him directly.

"Uh…" he said, not sure of the answer.

"Does he even have a name?"

Roxas shook his head.

"Oh! Why not?"

Roxas didn't like this kind of conversation. The interrogational format reminded him of his father, and the lady at the diner. Frowning a little he shrugged.

"We should name him," Demyx said matter-of-factly. "What do you think?"

Roxas shrugged again, unsure of what to say to that. He _did_ need to name his kitten.

On the table the kitten mewed its encouragement, making Demyx grin.

"Let's see – does our little one have any distinguishing features? Boots? Stripes? Spots?"

Roxas eyed the little cat. Now, dry and fluffy, its fur was a soft chocolate brown, wild and adorable. The brown darkened around its face, paws and the tips of its ears and tail, and Roxas still wasn't sure how Demyx was so certain it was a boy. Blue eyes shone out of its small round face, bright and intelligent.

"I think we should name him brownie!" Demyx announced intelligently, pleased with the originality of his suggestion. Roxas rolled his eyes and reached out a finger to scratch the kitten's round head.

"Or, or hey, what about, like, Snickers or Aero? Like a chocolate bar!"

Roxas stared at him sceptically.

"Or maybe…sapphire? You know, 'cause his eyes. So pretty blue."

Roxas nodded absently, running his finger under the kitten's chin.

"How about Sky? Or like Skye, with an 'e', 'cause that's so much cooler!"

Roxas glanced up, unimpressed.

"Hey! How 'bout Sora? It means sky, in Japanese! I think…."

Unexpectedly, Roxas smiled. Sora… it kinda fit.

"How d'ya like that, eh, Sora?" Demyx grinned picking the kitten off the table and making him do a little dance. "'La la la la, I'm Sora, cutest kitty in the world!'" he talked for the kitten. Roxas rolled his eyes, but smiled. He was beginning to like Demyx. He was…endearing.

Suddenly, the clock over the stove chimed twelve, making Roxas jump. It was noon; he should probably be on his way. He pushed his chair back sharply, making Demyx drop the newly dubbed Sora back onto the table.

"Thank you for your hospitality," he said formally, "but it's probably time I should be leaving."

Demyx looked hurt. "You're leaving? But why? We were having fun!"

"I-I know, but I have to go now,"

"Can't you just stay till Axel comes home? He'll be back at five, I know he'll want to say good bye, and he probably won't let you leave," he grinned.

Roxas assumed this was meant to be a good thing, but it was a terribly bad thing to him.

"No…I really have to go. Um…where are my clothes?"

Demyx looked crestfallen. "I'll get them."

"Thank you Demyx, really, and thank Axel for me too."

Roxas stood in the doorway, backpack over his good shoulder, Sora in his hand.

"Okay…be safe, 'aright? And don't talk to strangers or take candy from questionable people, and don't hitch-hike either, I'll give you a ride somewhere if you need it, rather I'll have Axel give you a ride, 'cause I don't have my licence yet, but eat your vegetables and do you have a cell phone? What's your number? It would be horrible if we lost touch and never saw each other again!"

Demyx pulled the smaller boy back through the doorway into a desperate hug.

Squeaking, Roxas clutched his kitten and tried his best not to pull away. Demyx had been so nice to him, and was acting as if he was a life-long friend, which was weird, but it only made Roxas like him more. For a moment he even questioned his decision to leave, but quickly pushed any mushy feeling back down. He pulled away gently.

"Good bye Demyx, and thanks again."

He began to walk away, just beginning to think he was safe, when he heard Demyx screech: "Holy crap! I don't even know your name!"

Stopping in his tracks, Roxas almost laughed. He was right – he'd never actually told him his name. Turning around, he called back, "Roxas. Roxas…Strife." He picked a last name at random, remembering a girl at his old school who had it. He wasn't yet willing to tell Demyx his real name.

Demyx grinned through the open door, and waved.

Roxas waved back, tossing back one last soft smile before he rounded the corner.

Demyx sighed sadly as he closed the door.

"Roxas… Aw I miss him already. Axel will be upset when he finds him gone…" The blond boy immediately brightened at the prospect of Axel's return, and retreated inside, shutting the door on the chilly afternoon wind.


End file.
